The Road to Change
by thinkaman22
Summary: I fight against Plegia, taking arms to change from outside. My father takes arms to defend it, and change it from within. Though our destination is the same, the roads we take bring us against each other. Neither of us will turn back, and neither of us are wrong. War really is a terrible thing... OC as main character! Read and review, please!
1. Chapter 1

Fuck the sun. I know that there are a lot of issues with the world that I could/should be worried about, but that's all that's running through my mind right now. As I walk through Plegian cliffs for my patrol route, I start to wish that I was born in Ylisse. If I were there, I wouldn't have to patrol through the desert in a long, dark brown cloak that made it feel like I was on fire. Also, I wouldn't have a lunatic like Gangrel as my king. You know, a lot of things in my life would be better if I were in Ylisse. But nope! I was born in Plegia, so I'm stuck patrolling the desert sun with my father ahead of me.

Since I'm only fifteen, I am the youngest tactician employed by the Plegian army. My father is Jack Shaw, a high ranking member of the Plegian army. How high? I'm not entirely sure, but he once called King Gangrel a 'Fucking Lunatic', and he's still alive, so I'm guessing he's pretty important. He turned back to me,

"How are you holding up, Steven? I know this is your first time doing this."

I groaned, "You know, I'd like this a lot more if I didn't have to wear such a thick cloak."

He rolled his eyes, "Boy, how do you think I feel. I have to wear a thick trench coat everywhere, and I don't complain at all."

To be honest, I'm surprised there's a trench coat that can fit him. My father stands at a gigantic six feet, seven inches tall, with a long, flowing white trench coat as his everyday attire. His hair was long and blonde, and he had one of those pearl white teeth that make all the women blush when they see it.

I, on the other hand, stand at a not-as-gigantic-but-still-really-tall six feet, three inches, with brown hair that goes a little past my shoulders. I sighed at my father's remark, "First of all Father, you don't have to wear the trench coat. You only wear it because you think the armor you're supposed to wear looks bland."

My father groaned, "They order me to wear a simple piece of chain mail that's pointed red. How is that supposed to impress the fair maidens that I save?"

I sighed, "Dad, you're married. You don't need to worry about impressing maidens anymore."

My father shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, just because I'm married now doesn't mean I can't look badass anymore."

I sighed, "Anymore? Dad, you've never been badass looking. You just have a trench coat and long hair. Sure, you look cool when there's a gust of wind, but that's not exactly badass."

He stopped walking, and drew his axe. I gulped, "Hey, dad, I was just joking!"

He shook his head. "I know." He motioned towards the left, a little down the cliffs in the desert sand below, "See that?" I peek down to see a small wagon. There were about four axe users guarding it, and they all looked like they just stumbled upon a million gold. My father clenched his teeth, "Those are the slave traders we've been searching for… Tell me, Steven, what's the plan?"

I looked around the area. Other than the cliffs we were on, there wasn't much in terms of cover. Which means… "Father, it would be best if I stayed here in the cliffs, and picked them off with my magic. Mean while, you rush them from the ground and make sure they don't escape."

He chuckled a little, "What's the matter, Steven? Afraid to get in there and fight?"

I shook my head, "No, not at all. If we both stayed up here and picked them off with magic, they'd easily be able to flee. However, if we both charged, they'd have plenty of time to see us coming and flee. One of us has to stop their chance to flee… So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to send a blast of fire over to their horses, preventing them from running, and you're going to charge them while I back you up from here."

He rolled his eyes, "Why don't I blast the horses with ELFIRE and you take the lead? I thought little boys dreamed of leading charges to save people's lives."

I rolled my eyes, "First of all dad, six feet three inches is a pretty big 'little boy'. Second of all, this little boy dreams of living to see his twenties. Third of all, you have much more combat experience than I do. You'd make a better charger than I would."

He smiled, "It's nice to see my son growing into such a fine young lad… Very well then. I move at your word."

I took a deep breath. This was the first time I've lead something, and I'm leading my father, of all people. But I can't succumb to nerves. There are innocent people in that wagon, ready to be sold into forced labor, or for the women, even worse… Things. I can't let this go. "Three…"

Everyone in that wagon, even though they didn't now it, was counting on me. "Two…"

Here goes everything…. "One…"

"… NOW!"

And with that, I fired a blast of, well, fire directly to the horse that was pulling the wagon. Before it could even neigh one last time, it turned into a pile of ashes. One of the bandits turned towards our direction, only to get a tomahawk straight to the face. The other two foolishly thought my father was defenseless while his tomahawk was in side their companion's skull. They were rewarded with a sword slash to throat and a stab to the heart, respectively. The fourth one realized how boned he was, and tried to run for the hills. My father pulled his axe out of dead bandit number one, but then realized that a blast of fire from yours truly beat him to the punch.

With all the slavers dead, I slowly made my way down the cliff. It took me about five minutes to maneuver my way down. My father checked the dean men for anything worth taking, and found a small pouch of gold. I looked back towards the cliffs, "Holy Grima, Father, how did you get down here in a few seconds?"He shrugged his shoulders, "Easy. I jumped."

My eyes grew wide, "You jumped from the cliffs? But we must have been about fifty feet in the air! How'd you not get injured?"

He smiled, "Very carefully. Now let's look inside."

We walked into the wagon, and I was greeted by the most terrifying sight I've seen. There were four women, all naked, blood all over them, chained to the side of the interior.. Two were crying, one was trying her best not to cry, and one was silent, staring off into nowhere. I started to cry. I knew that these kind of things happened, but to actually see it in front off me… It made me feel… Pathetic. However, my father remained calm. When he spoke, his voice was commanding, yet reassuring, "You're all safe now."

He walked over to them and cut off the chains. The women started smiling, and crying tears of joy. He went over to the one that was silent, but one of the women stopped her, "Don't bother. She's dead… She bit one of the thug's… thing off."

My father nodded. "What a brave woman, standing strong in a time like that… Grima bless her soul…" He walked in front of her and closed her eyes.

One of the women bowed down to us, "Thank both of you… I was afraid I'd never get to see my husband again…"

My father shook his head, "Don't worry, milady. It's all we can do as soldiers."

She gasped, "Soldiers? Gangrel actually ordered-"

I actually laughed at that, "Ha! As if Gangrel would ever give an order to help people! No, miss, we're here on our off day."

One of the other women gasped again, "Wait a minute! Doesn't that mean you just murdered those men with no official permission?"

My father shook his head, "Exactly. Which is why you never saw us. If anyone asks, you heard fighting outside, but you never saw who exactly saved you."

They all nodded in understanding, but one of them cleared her throat, "Thank you so much… Don't worry. We heard the slavers talking, and we can get back to the capital with the supplies they have… But if I may ask, if only to please my own curiosity… What are your names?"

My father smiled, "My name is Jack Shaw. And this is my son, Steven."

Her jaw dropped, "THE Jack Shaw? The Great Dread Fighter of Plegia?"

He nodded, "Yes."

Saying nothing else, the two of us walked away. I clenched my teeth, furious with the way things were. Why should we have to do things in the shadows like criminals to save people? Why should we have to deal with a tyrant who does nothing but bring his people misery? Things had to change. No matter what, things needed to get better. I swear, I'll change this world. And though my Father said nothing, the look of disgust in his eyes told me he felt the same way.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk back home was very quiet, as neither my father nor myself really had anything to say. To those people we saved, we are heroes. But to Gangrel and the law... We are villains. For helping those who can't help themselves. Sometimes, I can't help but think about leaving Plegia behind. Maybe leave to somewhere nicer... Ylisse would be a good place to go. But convincing my father to leave... That would be difficult... My father is loyal to this nation. He'd never leave.

I've always questioned why he remains so loyal to a dump like Plegia. All he ever wants to do is change this country, but how can he really do that when the laws force him into vigilanteism? I want to ask him why Plegia is worth saving, but every time I try, he dodges the question. Perhaps I'll never really know his reasons...

After about an hour of silent walking, we got back home. We were greeted by the smell of beef stew and the my Mother's smile. "Hey, boys. How'd it go?"

My Father looked down. "We saved three women. By the looks of it, they were to be sex toys for some sick noble somewhere."

I balled my fists. "Whoever that bastard was, I hope he never tries to buy people again."

My Mother sighed, walked over to me, and put her arms around me. "Listen, babe. There are some real sickos out there. But you can't put your focus on them. You need to look back on the ones you saved, not the ones you killed."

I chuckled. It was fake laughter, but I did feel better for that, if only a little. "Thanks, Mother. I needed that... I didn't know you were so philosophical."

My Father laughed, "She's not. I said that to her after our first mission together."

I sighed, "Of course. I should have known Mother got that from you. Not like she has time to be daydreaming."

My Father smirked. "As she says, time spent dreaming is time wasted. Though how you live that philosophy and read all day is beyond me. But whatever, right, dear?" He walked over and kissed her forehead.

She blushed. Brightly. "Jack? Steven? Shut up, or else you two won't get any stew."

He stopped dead in his tracks. "Come on, Nichole. No need to be like that..."

My Mother and I laughed. If there's anything you don't take from my Father, it's food.

My parents were what many would call 'made for each other'. They met when they were sixteen, serving in the same squad in the military. It was a perfect match- my Mother was a tough, no nonsense book worm. My Father was a goofy, laid back, well meaning fighter with more brawn than brains. He made helped become less serious, and she did the opposite. Typical romance novel story. Once I was born, my Mother retired, but now she's thinking about reenlisting... Which would mean she'd come with us on the vigilante missions...

Now that I think about it, it's kind of funny. Just a hour ago, I was murdering people as a vigilante, and now I'm enjoying childish banter with my parents. It's a depressing life, sure, but not a terrible one. While I still want to leave to find a better way to live, I can be content with the way things are now...

That is, until everything changed.

We heard loud banging at the door, "Jack! Jack, hurry up, open the damn door! It's really important!"

My Father sighed, "Dear Grima, Mustafa, what the hell do you want?"

My Father opened the door and let Mustafa in. Mustafa was another good man, serving the wrong nation. His son and I have been friends since I was a child, and he and my Father were friends long before my Father and Mother met. He was usually very calm and commanding, but now his demeanor and tone were etched with worry, "Jack, you have to get out of here! Now!"

My Father shook his head, "Mustafa! Calm your bald head down! Now what the hell is wrong?"

He spoke quickly, "Gangrel... He knows about your vigilante missions! He's ordered any soldier that finds you to arrest you for manipulation of power! You have to leave town now!"

My Mother gasped, "But that's impossible! Only you, Steven, Jack, and I know about the missions! What happened?"

Mustafa's anger was easily noticeable. "One of the women you saved today... The first thing she did was go right to the palace and sell you out!"

Now it was my turn to gasp. "What? We saved her from a life of rape and torture, and she thanks us by selling us out?!"

My Father sighed, oddly calm, "There are many things people will do for money, Steven.. And there are even more people that do not understand respect and thankfulness. Tell me, Mustafa, how long do we have until soldiers arrive?"

He shook his head. "Not long. Ten minutes, at the most."

My Father nodded. "Alright... Mustafa, take Nichole and Steven and flee. Now."

A collective, "No!", came from all of us, but my Father shook his head. "They won't be after you three at first, but when Gangrel sees my child and wife, he'll undoubtably get a rise out of torturing and raping those I love. If I alone go, he won't pursue you. He'll be satisfied to just have me- he won't go the extra mile just for a little 'fun'. And besides, Steven, you always wanted to go to Ylisse, right? Now's your chance."

I shook my head. "Father, I didn't want to go like this... Please, Father, not like this."

My Mother walked over to him. "Jack... Please... Stay safe."

My eyes grew wide. "Mother!? You're letting him go on with this martyrdom?"

She gave him a long kiss before responding, "Steven... Your Father knows what he's doing. In all my years of marriage to him, I could not stop him when he was truly determined... Please, my Son..."

I shook my head. "No. I'm not leaving."

Sighing, my Father drew his axe and swiftly knocked my head with the pole of it, causing me to black out. All I could remember was that my Father was crying as he did so.

* * *

I awoke inside of a bed room, the early morning sun poking through the window next to me. My head hurt, and my vision was blurry. All I could think was that my Father- Father! What became of him? Where-

Someone came through the door with a plate of food. She was of average height And had long, brown hair. She was wearing armor, but was obviously a new recruit, judging by the bright and scarless appearance of her armor. Upon seeing me she tripped and dropped the whole thing of food. She immediately shot back up, and was blushing wildly, "Oh, Naga, I am so clumsy... That was for you! I made it with so much care..."

I held my head, "Where... Where am I? And who are you?"

She stopped rambling, "Oh, right, sorry... Forgot you were knocked out cold. My name is Sumia. You're in Ylisse now."

"What?" I looked outside the window to the city below me. People were strolling the town, knights greeting the people they were protecting with a smile. It looked like an actual city, nothing like the slums and terror of Plegia.

"Ylisse..." I turned to the woman, "Thank you, Sumia. For attempting to feed me. But where are my parents are they okay?"

She blushed a little at the compliment, "You're welcome... Your Mother is talking to the Exalt right now. And I was told to tell you to read the note on the desk if you asked about your Father."

I turned to see a note on the desk. The handwriting was barely legible; it was obviously written in a hurry. With a deep breath, I began reading.

_Dear Steven,_

_If you're reading this letter, than it means you've made it safely to Ylisse. Steven... I'm sorry for knocking you out like that. But if you stayed and argued, we would have wasted time. I'm sorry, I truly am. But this is my burden, and I will not wrap you up in it. The cross I carry shall be carried alone... But I'm afraid circumstances will lead you to suffer because of my misdeeds, and I apologize. You want to change this country by fighting it, and I understand. I do not agree, but I understand. In Ylisse, there is a group of soldiers led by Prince Chrom called the Shepherds. They fight Plegia and Bandits. If you wish to join them... Feel free. If that is the path you choose... Then feel free to walk down that road. Just know this- I will fight for Plegia, even if you are my enemy. And also know that if we do cross blades... I will still love you. You will still be my son. Now and_

__The letter ended, meaning that was when he had to move. Father... You... I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and I started to cry. For my Father. For my Mother. For me. Sumia, bless her soul, simply held me, as if she were nurturing a child. I pulled away when I was done, "Thank you."

She nodded, "You looked like you needed comfort. And besides, it was the least I could do after dropping you breakfast... Tell me, your name was Steven, correct?" I nodded, and she continued, "So what are you going to do now, Steven?"

There was no question in my mind. I knew what I had to do. No matter what happened, no matter who stood in my way... I knew what I needed to do. "I'm going to become a Shepherd."


	3. Chapter 3

The halls of Castle Plegia were grand, large in scale. As a soldier, it made you proud of your country's majesty. But as a prisoner, it made you afraid of Plegia's might. As Jack was dragged through it's halls, he felt a mix of relief and terror. One the one hand, he knew Mustafa got his wife and son out on time. On the other hand, his own fate had yet to be seen. Bound by metal cuffs on his arms and legs, he was pulled by the collar of his shirt by two knights. One was rough- a loyal idiot for Gangrel. The other aas gentle, and looked at Jack with sympathy. He must have been someone who knew him, and knew why he did what he did.

In time, he got to the throne room, with Gangrel sitting down on it, his face filled with sadistic glee. His henchwoman Aversa was standing by him, and there were a handful of knights in the room, around ten to fifteen. Jack winced as he was thrown to Gangrel's feet. "Ah, Jack. Welcome. I trust you're having a fine evening? I know you have a busy schedule, so I hope you weren't tied up this evening- Get it? Ha!"

The room was silent. Gangrel sighed, "Yeesh, what's wrong with everyone? I capture one war hero, and all of a sudden everyone acts like we're at a funeral?"

Jack sighed, "Come on now, Gangrel. You and I both know that you're planning to turn this into one. So stop the maniacal bullshit and do what you want to do."

Gangrel started cackling maniacally, "Oh, but come now, Jack! Why would I waste such a valuable tool? You're far more useful to me alive, my dear dread fighter."

Jack laughed, "Like I'd ever serve you, you egotistical moron. My life has always been devoted to the people, not the crown! I'd sooner rush into a giant Plegian cactus field naked than follow your orders!"

Gangrel cocked an eyebrow, "That's got to be one of the most specific insults I've ever heard... Nevertheless! You say that now, but I have something to show you that might change your mind..." He took out a painting and showed it to Jack.

It depicted a group of children, all of whom couldn't be older than 10. There were about twenty of them, and they were all smiling, in a large dogpile/hug with an old priest. Gangrel started cackling maniacally, "Tell me, Jack, do you know who these people are?"

Jack shook his head, "If I had to guess, I'd say all your illegitimate children."

Gangrel chuckled, "Oh, I had all those women axed before they could even give birth. These are the children of the lovely Saint Artur's Orphanage. The little girl with pigtails is Suzy. He parents were mauled by bears. That little toe-headed bot is named Jonathan. His parents were sold to slavers, never to be seen again. And that's-"

Aversa cleared her throat, "Gangrel, darling, perhaps you should get to the point."

Gangrel nodded, "Of course. I always get so distracted when I'm being crazy. Anyways, these children are my bargaining tools. If you ever disobey me, I'll personally axe off everyone of these little children... Joyfully."

Jack's eyes grew wide, "You wouldn't-"

Gangrel laughed, "Wouldn't dare? Jack, when are you going to realize that I'm fucking crazy? Killing a swarm of orphans is nothing to me! Infact, I think I'll do so right now, just to prove a point!"

Jack gasped, "No! Don't!"

A knight brought in a small girl, about seven or eight years of age. He threw her next to Jack. She was crying. "Where's my mommy? I want my mommy..."

Gangrel knelt next to her, "Hush now, little girl. It hurts me to tell you this, but your mommy's been killed. Slowly and painfully raped and murdered by me. But do you want to know the good news?" The little girl was silent, causing Gangrel to grin with delight. "You're going to join her."

He pulled out a dagger, and slit the young girl's throat. She dropped instantly. Jack looked at Gangrel with horror as he licked her blood of the dagger. "Gangrel... You just have a bunch kidnapped orphans, ready to be killed whenever you feel like?"

Gangrel laughed, "Of course. You mean you don't?"

Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew Gangrel was mad, but this... This was insane...

Gangrel smiled, "Now... Do I have your loyalty?"

Jack looked down. He knew that Gangrel wasn't playing- hell, he just saw a poor girl used as nothing more than an example. However, if he served Gangrel, there would undoubtably be many more casualties caused by his hands, far more than just an orphanage. But those were children... Could he really be so heartless as to take life from someone who never had the chance to live it at all?

... There was no right answer, Jack thought. No matter what side he takes, innocent people have to die. So in the end, it was a question of who kills them, and who gets killed. Men and women killed by himself, or children killed by Gangrel.

"You will never have my loyalty... But my blade is yours to use as you see fit."

Gangrel smiled, "Oh Grima, I can see everything you stand for dying inside... Very well, Jack. I hope we can have a... Beneficial future with one another... Haha..HaHa... HAHAHA!"

Gangrel's laughter could be heard throughout the entire castle, but Jack tears and whimpers could be heard by no one but himself.

* * *

A/N: Not really sure if this should be rated M. Tell me in the reviews, I'd appreciate it. Until next time...

"Can you feel that, Spike? The blood that lives to kill is coursing through out veins."

"... I've bleed all that blood away."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?"

-Spike and Vicious, from the anime Cowboy Bebop.


End file.
